How to Get Around Furano Without a Car in Winter

Getting around Furano without a car can be confusing, especially with skis or a snowboard in tow. Here’s everything you need to know about the buses, shuttles, taxis, and winter walking conditions.

Furano Bus Lavender-liveried local bus and a Hokkaido Chuo Bus coach at the snowy Furano bus terminal, Japan

During our ski trip to Furano, some days were effortless: we hopped on the Lavender Bus or took the free shuttle from our rental shop straight to the mountain. Other times, we couldn’t get an Uber or GO Taxi, found ourselves stranded, or walked along a dark, snowy road because the sidewalks had disappeared beneath the snow.

Just a heads-up: some links on this site are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase. Your support helps to keep the blog running.

Furano’s Winter Public Transit Timetables

The Furano winter bus timetable below shows the public transportation options available in Furano, including the Lavender Bus, the Goryo Line, and the seasonal Evening Shuttle Bus. During your trip, the Lavender Bus will probably be your go-to option for traveling between Furano Station, the Kitanomine area, and the Furano Zone area of the Furano Ski Resort.

Furano winter bus timetable 2025-26 for the Lavender Bus, Goryo Line and Evening Shuttle between the town and ski resort

We used Google Maps to check Lavender Bus timetables, but not every bus that is listed on the PDF timetable from the Tourism Office showed up on Google Transit.

Map of Bus Stops

Furano winter bus stop map showing routes between downtown Furano and the ski resort area, with boarding and payment guide

*** I will try to update this map and timetable when the winter 2026-27 season one is released! Please leave me a comment below if you see an updated schedule before I do!

Lavender Bus

The Lavender Bus was the spine of our day-to-day transportation. Its main route runs from Asahikawa Station through Asahikawa Airport and Furano Station to the Shin Furano Prince Hotel. In winter, limited services add more journeys between Furano Station and the resort.

The Kitanomine area has several useful stops, including Hotel Naturwald, Hotel Bell Hills, Resort Inn North Country, the ski-area P2 parking lot, and Kitanomine Jutaku-mae. However, not every bus serves every stop, so be sure that you carefully read across the timetable for the specific departure you plan to use, and do not assume that seeing a hotel listed means every bus will stop there.

For winter 2025–26, the limited Lavender Bus service ran daily from December 1 through March 31. The ordinary Lavender Bus continued as a daily, year-round service. These dates can shift between one winter and another, so be sure to check with the local tourism office.

How to Board and Pay

At the Furano Bus Terminal beside JR Furano Station, ticket machines are available for the Lavender Bus. When boarding at another stop, take a numbered ticket from the orange box near the door. That number records where you boarded. Keep the ticket with you during the journey rather than trying to pay immediately.

Bilingual poster explaining how to ride Furano buses with numbered tickets, fare display and exact-change payment

As the bus travels, the electronic screen at the front displays the name of the next stop and a grid of fares. Find the number printed on your ticket and look beneath the matching number on the screen; that is the fare you owe at that point in the route. The amount increases as the bus gets farther from the stop where you boarded.

When your stop approaches, signal that you want to get off. At the front of the bus, place both the numbered ticket and the exact cash fare in yen into the fare box as you exit.

Where to Put Your Skis and Snowboards

On the full-size coach-style buses that run from Asahikawa Airport, skis, snowboards, and large bags can go into the luggage compartment under the passenger cabin. Meanwhile, the smaller local-style buses do not have the same exterior luggage bay. You should be ready to bring your equipment inside, keep it under your control, and avoid blocking the aisle or doors. If the bus is busy, this can be awkward.

Evening Shuttle Bus

In the peak snow season, Furano runs a special “Evening Shuttle Bus” between the resort area and downtown Furano for dinner. For the 2025–26 winter season, it cost ¥500 for one ride. In past seasons, the service ran from December 19 through March 15, with no service on December 31, January 1–2, January 31, or February 1.

How to Ride

To ride the Evening Shuttle Bus, you purchase a ticket when boarding. Most importantly, you need to be sure tell the driver where you want to get off! The Evening Shuttle does not stop at every listed stop automatically!

Private Shuttles

Some Furano hotels and ski or snowboard rental shops also offer complimentary rides to the slopes for their guests or rental customers. These can make a car-free trip much easier, especially when you are carrying skis and snowboards to and from the slopes. We rented from WAVES / K-Sports near our hotel, and they drove us to and from the mountain each day in their comfortable passenger van.

Snowboarders loading their boards into a blue ski shuttle van on a snowy street in central Furano, Hokkaido

But if you missed the shuttle times (like one of our group did), you have to take the Lavender Bus home.

The New Furano Prince Hotel Shuttle

We had read mentions of a complimentary shuttle between the New Furano Prince Hotel in the Furano Zone and the Kitanomine Zone. However, during our visit, we could not find a current timetable, clear signage, or information about using it.

It may be limited to hotel guests, operate only during certain seasons, or no longer run at all. Unless the hotel confirms it directly for your travel dates, I wouldn’t rely on it when planning your transportation in Furano.

Taxi

While rideshare apps like Uber and Go Taxi technically operate in Furano, we did not have any luck with requesting a ride using these apps in Furano, which was incredibly disappointing because this ruined our outing to Ningle Terrace!

We did, however, have success with pre-booking a ride with Furano Taxi (富良野タクシー), the local taxi operator in Furano. If you’re not comfortable with talking on the phone in Japanese, you could have your hotel concierge call for you, or there is also a taxi stand outside Furano Station.

Walking On Foot

Unfortunately, Furano is really not a walking-friendly place in winter, especially outside of the downtown Furano strip. On one night, we walked from our hotel, the La Vista Furano Hills Hotel, to Pizza Zizi (12/10 so delicious!) for dinner, and the sidewalks were slippery and covered with piles of snow, so we had to walk in the road, and there were next to no streetlights, so it was very dark! Next time, I would pack a headlamp for Furano if I plan on walking anywhere at night.

Traveller standing on the snow-covered pedestrian bridge over the rail line in Furano at night, lit by streetlights — Just look how dark it was, even with a street lamp!

This is especially important to know if you plan on staying at the Shin Furano Prince Hotel without a car, because you will pretty much be stuck in the Furano Zone and will be reliant on buses and shuttles. It is not safe to walk between the Furano Zone and the Kitanomine Zone on foot in winter, especially at night!

Ready to Plan Your Trip to Hokkaido?

Planning a winter trip to Furano? Start with my complete Furano Ski Resort guide, then read about what it was like taking a beginner snowboarding lesson in Furano. You can also compare the best places to stay in Furano, discover things to do for non-skiers, and explore more of my Hokkaido winter travel guides.